John Lettieri, President and CEO of Economic Innovation Group | Official Website
John Lettieri, President and CEO of Economic Innovation Group | Official Website
In total, residents in King County received $19.3 billion in government transfers, which accounted for 7.5% of total county income.
Comparatively, across all counties in Washington, government transfer payments totaled $83.3 billion, making up 14.2% of the state residents’ total income, with an average of $10,697 per resident.
Government transfer payments are non-repayable funds provided by federal, state, or local governments to support individuals in need. These payments aim to stabilize economic conditions and provide financial support during hardships. Key programs include Social Security transfers (retirement benefits), Medicare transfers (healthcare for seniors), Medicaid transfers (healthcare for low-income individuals), and income maintenance transfers (financial assistance for basic needs).
Breaking down the contributions in King County at the time, Social Security transfers totaled $6.5 billion, amounting to $2,889 per capita, or 34% of total government transfers. Medicare transfers accounted for $4.1 billion ($1,828 per capita), representing 21.5% of the total. Medicaid contributed $4 billion ($1,751 per capita), making up 20.6% of total transfers. Income maintenance programs, including assistance such as SNAP or TANF, added another $1.7 billion ($757 per capita), or 8.9% of the total.
With 14.1% of the population aged 65 and older, King County has a demand for programs like Social Security and Medicare. Total per capita income excluding government transfers in King County was $105,317, slightly below the county’s total income of $113,819, emphasizing the role of government transfers in overall income.
When comparing 2022 to the previous year, King County saw a decrease of 24.5% in per capita government transfers, from $11,328 to $8,503 per capita.
Government transfers have long been a modest financial safety net, historically comprising only a small fraction of Americans' income. However, since the 1970s—sometimes dubbed the “Great Transfer-mation”—dependency has surged from 8.21% (or $2,022 per capita in inflation-adjusted 2022 dollars) in 1970 to 17.63% (or $11,542 per capita) in 2022. In King County, reliance on government transfers has similarly decreased from 8.13% (or $2,399 per capita) in 1970 to 7.5% (or $8,503 per capita) in 2022.
According to the Economic Innovation Group’s analysis, these trends are not merely short-term responses to economic pressures but rather reflect a profound, long-term transformation in how government support is integrated into American life. The study illustrates that structural shifts—from rising healthcare expenses and demographic changes to stagnant wages—have significantly increased dependency on government transfers.
| County | State Rank (Per Capita Transfers) | Per Capita Transfers ($) | Dependency on Transfers (%) | % Population 65+ | Social Security Transfers ($) | Medicare Transfers ($) | Medicaid Transfers ($) | Income Maintenance Transfers ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia County | 1 | $18,753 | 29.97% | 29% | $24,703,000 | $20,112,000 | $17,773,000 | $5,467,000 |
| Pacific County | 2 | $18,397 | 39.57% | 33.78% | $171,905,000 | $116,613,000 | $81,866,000 | $32,357,000 |
| Ferry County | 3 | $17,849 | 40.43% | 30.26% | $44,499,000 | $26,423,000 | $34,238,000 | $12,353,000 |
| Jefferson County | 4 | $17,788 | 28.28% | 40.77% | $273,750,000 | $159,249,000 | $77,286,000 | $29,749,000 |
| Clallam County | 5 | $17,193 | 30.94% | 32.41% | $546,765,000 | $333,411,000 | $224,944,000 | $91,597,000 |
| Pend Oreille County | 6 | $17,006 | 34.78% | 27.38% | $83,212,000 | $44,453,000 | $60,865,000 | $23,970,000 |
| Garfield County | 7 | $16,683 | 28.71% | 26.73% | $12,528,000 | $13,501,000 | $6,512,000 | $2,612,000 |
| Asotin County | 8 | $16,535 | 30.43% | 25.49% | $129,106,000 | $81,134,000 | $91,421,000 | $34,521,000 |
| Okanogan County | 9 | $16,121 | 32.53% | 23.46% | $204,879,000 | $144,027,000 | $202,349,000 | $73,631,000 |
| Grays Harbor County | 10 | $16,056 | 34.25% | 23.59% | $414,369,000 | $264,890,000 | $305,600,000 | $129,391,000 |
| Klickitat County | 11 | $15,553 | 29.18% | 25.19% | $124,212,000 | $75,942,000 | $88,328,000 | $31,847,000 |
| Stevens County | 12 | $15,222 | 32.56% | 25.44% | $253,452,000 | $145,916,000 | $168,881,000 | $71,107,000 |
| Wahkiakum County | 13 | $15,089 | 29.95% | 33.75% | $32,068,000 | $16,406,000 | $10,517,000 | $4,950,000 |
| Lincoln County | 14 | $14,921 | 28.72% | 26% | $64,136,000 | $51,082,000 | $25,566,000 | $11,809,000 |
| Lewis County | 15 | $14,726 | 27.91% | 21.51% | $423,790,000 | $271,591,000 | $292,701,000 | $133,012,000 |
| Cowlitz County | 16 | $14,522 | 26.58% | 19.8% | $549,433,000 | $350,979,000 | $362,447,000 | $189,562,000 |
| Mason County | 17 | $14,410 | 28% | 24.33% | $364,034,000 | $225,975,000 | $184,964,000 | $87,032,000 |
| Island County | 18 | $13,904 | 21.21% | 27% | $511,957,000 | $276,406,000 | $139,945,000 | $61,480,000 |
| San Juan County | 19 | $13,778 | 15.35% | 35.9% | $124,811,000 | $73,197,000 | $26,034,000 | $10,187,000 |
| Chelan County | 20 | $13,545 | 21.61% | 21% | $360,620,000 | $233,712,000 | $275,410,000 | $102,976,000 |
| Yakima County | 21 | $13,527 | 27.46% | 14.46% | $801,808,000 | $505,536,000 | $1,329,673,000 | $548,196,000 |
| Skagit County | 22 | $13,483 | 21.43% | 22.62% | $660,712,000 | $401,842,000 | $353,806,000 | $156,604,000 |
| Walla Walla County | 23 | $12,947 | 23.36% | 20.14% | $266,336,000 | $162,945,000 | $193,866,000 | $79,163,000 |
| Spokane County | 24 | $12,148 | 22.4% | 17.34% | $2,129,289,000 | $1,383,927,000 | $1,498,273,000 | $716,831,000 |
| Adams County | 25 | $11,943 | 24.92% | 12% | $47,423,000 | $38,075,000 | $106,476,000 | $40,120,000 |
| Grant County | 26 | $11,841 | 24.18% | 14.63% | $318,261,000 | $213,958,000 | $379,464,000 | $176,168,000 |
| Thurston County | 27 | $11,743 | 19.67% | 18.82% | $1,297,186,000 | $683,383,000 | $547,622,000 | $291,944,000 |
| Kitsap County | 28 | $11,578 | 16.98% | 19.69% | $1,099,588,000 | $680,294,000 | $574,629,000 | $241,790,000 |
| Skamania County | 29 | $11,300 | 18% | 24.99% | $54,716,000 | $27,844,000 | $28,355,000 | $12,621,000 |
| Whatcom County | 30 | $11,269 | 19.1% | 18.85% | $946,257,000 | $598,402,000 | $508,627,000 | $226,563,000 |
| Douglas County | 31 | $11,260 | 22.93% | 18.56% | $167,401,000 | $111,273,000 | $118,680,000 | $49,539,000 |
| Kittitas County | 32 | $11,250 | 20.43% | 18.38% | $191,003,000 | $116,473,000 | $86,847,000 | $40,271,000 |
| Pierce County | 33 | $10,933 | 18.23% | 14.82% | $3,159,997,000 | $1,922,097,000 | $2,207,794,000 | $1,059,255,000 |
| Benton County | 34 | $10,584 | 19.44% | 15.87% | $792,791,000 | $487,623,000 | $455,501,000 | $246,882,000 |
| Clark County | 35 | $10,329 | 15.76% | 16.69% | $1,916,679,000 | $1,111,468,000 | $1,037,242,000 | $554,375,000 |
| Franklin County | 36 | $9,497 | 20.61% | 10.29% | $217,371,000 | $139,993,000 | $315,416,000 | $152,947,000 |
| Snohomish County | 37 | $8,774 | 12.71% | 14.84% | $2,732,252,000 | $1,593,470,000 | $1,373,521,000 | $673,805,000 |
| King County | 38 | $8,503 | 7.47% | 14.12% | $6,547,664,000 | $4,144,097,000 | $3,969,005,000 | $1,715,968,000 |
| Whitman County | 39 | $8,499 | 18.21% | 11.67% | $124,321,000 | $85,332,000 | $73,895,000 | $35,690,000 |
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